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Key Takeaways: In Washington, the City of Bellevue wanted to break away from the inefficiency of siloed operations and create a unified, data‐based, smart‐city strategy across all city departments. The Bellevue Smart Team tested a water module in its new City Portal, starting with a dashboard that would organize and optimize data for a better customer, utility, and city experience. The platform used to set up the City Portal allows for flexibility in adding modules and adopting new technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides an overview on the concept of build and buy decisions concerning the open-source software (OSS) and various application outsourcing options used by water and wastewater industries in the U.S. The buy option is commonly used and is often perceived as less risky in choosing a commercial off-the-shelf product, while the build concept is generally limited to mid-size and large utilities. Establish technologies and leveraging OSS through industry-based dealing portals are rapidly gaining acceptance and practice.